This disclosure relates generally to optical connectivity, and more particularly to strain relief assemblies for fiber optic connectors and fiber optic cable assemblies.
Optical fibers are useful in a wide variety of applications, including the telecommunications industry for voice, video, and data transmissions. In a telecommunications system that uses optical fibers, there are typically many locations where fiber optic cables that carry the optical fibers connect to equipment or other fiber optic cables. To conveniently provide these connections, fiber optic connectors are often provided on the ends of fiber optic cables. The process of terminating individual optical fibers from a fiber optic cable is referred to as “connectorization.” Connectorization can be done in a factory, resulting in a “pre-connectorized” or “pre-terminated” fiber optic cable, or the field (e.g., using a “field-installable” fiber optic connector).
Regardless of where installation occurs, a fiber optic connector typically includes a ferrule with one or more bores that receive one or more optical fibers. The ferrule supports and positions the optical fiber(s) with respect to a housing of the fiber optic connector. Thus, when the housing of the fiber optic connector is mated with another connector (e.g., in an adapter), an optical fiber in the ferrule is positioned in a known, fixed location relative to the housing. This allows an optical connection to be established when the optical fiber is aligned with another optical fiber provided in the mating connector.
The housing and connector bodies (e.g., a retention/crimp body) of a fiber optic connector are often relatively rigid components so that the fiber optic connector can withstand a variety of forces during handling and use without affecting the optical connection that may be or has been established. Having a rigid components, however, presents design challenges elsewhere. For example, fiber optic cables upon which fiber optic connectors are installed are typically much less rigid than the connector bodies of the fiber optic connectors. The rapid transition from high stiffness to low stiffness may result in stress concentrations where the cable meets the connector body. Radial loads applied to the cable may then result in the cable bending (e.g., where the stresses are concentrated) beyond a minimum bend radius that must not be exceeded for the cable to function properly.
To address the above-mentioned challenge, a fiber optic connector typically includes a a flexible, strain-relieving boot that snaps onto a rigid portion of the fiber optic connector (e.g., the housing or connector body) and extends rearwardly over a portion of the cable. The boot provides a transition in stiffness between the fiber optic connector and the cable. Although many different boot designs have been proposed to properly provide this transition, new solutions are still desired. It can be difficult to address conflicting conditions at opposite ends of the boot, namely a high stiffness at the end of the boot coupled to the connector and a low stiffness at the end of the boot terminating on the cable. Failure to do so may result in stress concentration points that weaken the boot or otherwise still lead to unacceptable bending of the cable. Existing solutions may not adequately address these conflicting conditions, manufacturability challenges, space constraints, and other considerations.